Elm Street Fire House
Why it's listed
Built in 1899 at 24 Elm Street, this brick fire house in Southbridge still serves as the town's fire station. Worcester architect George H. Clemence designed it, and the town appropriated $23,000 for construction. The building combines Classical, Gothic and Romanesque features: rusticated ground-floor masonry, keystones over the second-story windows, modillioned eaves, high-pitched roofs with dormers, round-arched windows, brick corbelling and a massive tower. The row of arched truck entrances and the tower mark it as a fire house, and such towers could hold an alarm bell and serve for drying hoses. It reflects a decade of fire-protection improvements in Southbridge, which included a town fire department established in 1880, a second new fire house in Globe Village in 1894, hydrants and street reservoirs, and a Gamewell alarm system. Mid-20th-century truck bays were added, but the building keeps its integrity. It was listed for its link to the growth of the town center and for its design, under criteria A and C.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is tied to the late-19th-century expansion of Southbridge's commercial and institutional center. It also has an impressive brick Renaissance Revival design that blends Classical, Gothic and Romanesque elements. It is significant at the local level under criteria A and C and retains its integrity.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 89000530, listed June 22, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 24 Elm St., Southbridge |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | June 22, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000530 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | George H. Clemence, Worcester |
| Architectural style | Eclectic, Late-19th Century (described elsewhere as Renaissance Revival, mixing Classical, Gothic and Romanesque elements) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is good. It is the present fire station, and additional truck bays were added in the mid-20th century. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.07433, -72.03442 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 89000530.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5366332
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.